The phone market (where are the compact phones rant)

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by Stuff Jones, Sep 18, 2018.

  1. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    I broke the usb c port on my Note 9 so I had to buy a new phone. I wanted something smaller and lighter, but not too small as I have XL hands. After some research I ended up with the Pixel 4a 5G. So far it is pretty awesome. I'm ending days with 75% battery, and it feels a little snappier than my Note 9, which is probably due to software optimization since the Note is technically faster. The camera though is on another level. Night-sight is insane, and the regular photos are truly flagship tier.

    Best part? Still has a headphone jack.
     
  2. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Looks like a very good deal for something new
    How is it on the audio front? Any special dac or amp built in? .
     
  3. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

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    Not that I know of. It sounds just as good as my Note 9 did with my PX100II or my AKG buds.
     
  4. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Been using the newly released Google Pixel 6 for almost a week. It replaced my Sony Xperia 1 phone that I had for over two years. I paid $900 for the Xperia 1 at lunch in 2019, and I paid $700 for Pixel 6 256 GB version.

    So far, I like it a lot. I do miss the MicroSD Card slot on the Sony smartphones, the LED light on the top left of the corner, and its 21:9 aspect ratio. At the same time, I didn't really need the MicroSD storage for my needs, the LED light made me use the phone more often, and the 21:9 aspect ratio didn't work 100% with all my apps. On top of that, Sony doesn't have full US phone band support so on T-Mobile network you don't get Wi-Fi calling and only two years of OS updates. While I think Apple wins on OS update support, Pixel 6 with three years of OS updates and five years of security updates is better than nothing.

    What the Pixel 6 for me wins over the Sony is a much more friendlier camera system for those who need a very good point and shoot, MUCH better battery life, no bloat, and things to me just "flow" better with Google on their own phone platform (no bloatware). The phone to me feels much smoother and faster, and it does anything that I throw at it. Keep in mind that I am not a heavy phone user on a processing level, but I do run apps like everyone else. Pixel 6 is my first phone with US "5G," which does eat more battery power than using it on LTE mode. Since I'm on a T-Mobile MVNO, I only get "5G" speeds in certain areas of Jax. But to be honest, I only really need 10-20 mbps speeds since I'm not a heavy data phone user. This is why I got Mint Mobile since it is cheap and the speeds in Jax is enough for my needs.

    One real weak spot is the so-so front facing camera, it will do the job but it isn't great. The fingerprint scanner could be better but it gets 90% of my reads on the first try. For average phone users this phone to me offer nears flagship performance for a cheaper price. However, if you are a light phone user you could be happy with an older Pixel or an older phone in general. Those who demand TOTL performance have other options than a Pixel 6 or its Pro variant. I do like the improvements of Android 12 over 11, but I can see that not everyone is going to like the OS update since Google did some major changes to it.
     
  5. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    I'm still getting used to Android 8.
     

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